Space Invaders/Later Releases

The home version of Space Invaders for the Atari 2600 was a huge success. Not only did it capture the look and feel of the original arcade version, but it also offered 112 different versions of the game. Variations included invisible invaders, invisible missiles and other subtle alterations. It was the first video arcade adaptation for the Atari 2600 system. The console had been released in 1977, but sales of the 2600 skyrocketed during the 1980 holiday shopping season, as millions of families bought the Atari system just so that they could play Space Invaders. This marked the beginning of home video adaptations of popular arcade games (some of which were less than successful).

Space Invaders spawned a large number of imitators, as other video game manufacturers sought to cash in on its successful formula, and released many arcade games featuring variations of the same theme: attacking aliens from outer space.

Taito released several sequels to Space Invaders in the arcades over the years — Space Invaders Part II ("Deluxe Space Invaders") (1979), Return of the Invaders (1985), Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV ("Super Space Invaders '91") (1990), Space Invaders DX (1994), and Akkanvader ("Space Invaders '95: The Attack Of The Lunar Loonies") (1995).

The release of Pac-Man in 1980 broke the mold of "alien invader" games, and it opened the way for more creativity and originality in the video gaming industry. But the legacy of Space Invaders lives on, and action-based science fiction games continue to pay homage to the original shoot-em-up video game.

Enemies based on Space Invaders also appeared in Bubble Bobble games. To top it off, Bubble Symphony featured both a giant Space Invader guarded by aliens who move just like in Space Invaders as a boss and cameo appearances by the player controlled spaceship as a companion for the main characters.

Super Space Invaders was a Space Invaders clone for a range of systems including the Amiga, Master System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System featuring greatly upgraded graphics and sound, along with additions to the gameplay such as power-ups and advanced forms of aliens. Despite this, it was given average reviews at best, and sold very poorly.

Space Raiders (Space Invaders: Invasion Day in Europe) was released in 2001 and is a 3D version of space invaders. Rather than a laser at the bottom shooting up, the player is a human shooting forward at aliens in the street: a prime example of how much games have changed over the years.